In case you haven't had an opportunity to read the entire transcript (it runs nearly 9000 words), I've compiled 12 highlights from the series with links back to the original story.

Matthew Moroun on why DIBC wants to build a second span: After the second span is open and traffic is relocated, the current span will be closed, maintenance and renovations are much faster, safer, and 50-70% less expensive…It makes more economic sense for us to invest $500 million to complete the second span and close the current span at a fraction of the cost. After it is refurbished, it can be used for emergency purposes, community uses such as marathons or ceremonial use, and if traffic in future years warrants the use of the additional span, it can be used for that purpose.

On why DIBC doesn’t believe the NITC is necessary: Detroit lost 25% of its population. If you just looked at that maybe you’d say, well traffic is just going to get worse. Hopefully not. But the first thing before we can grow population, to try to grow traffic, is you have to arrest the decline…Same thing with manufacturing, right? If you’re reading in the newspaper that GM, Ford, Chrysler and the imports are going to really start ramping up manufacturing in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Ontario…then I’d say, you know what, maybe the trend that shows manufacturing decline in the traffic numbers, we shouldn’t look at that. But if you don’t have those things, then the past is a good indicator of the future.

On how Moroun would resolve the border crossing debate: We bear the risk of building and owning a second span, Canada fixes its stoplight issues between the bridge and 401, and the governor proposes regulations over our business that give him confidence he needs. Result: No taxpayer money or risk at all, a new bridge, a good road in Canada, and Michigan’s money is used for its roads and not a new bridge.

On federal funding for the NITC: I’ve always thought it was the same thing, whether it’s an American taxpayer or a Michigan taxpayer, we haven’t drawn a distinction. But for those people who say, look we’ll build this thing off the backs of non-Michigan taxpayers, well, I don’t know, that depends on how much money you think you can squeeze out of the federal government right now. We’ve only done our numbers based on taxpayers in general. We haven’t isolated it to how much the government proposal could sap other Americans for.

On Gov. Rick Snyder: I paid attention to the election, probably like you did. I think the first time I ever saw him—if I got the candidate right—I think he was having a, not necessarily a fundraiser, but a friendraiser last year at Mackinac. Like across the street from the Grand Hotel. I think I may have gone to that and said hello to him. I think my dad attended a few similar type events. We weren’t close to him. There wasn’t any animosity toward him, I thought he was a fine candidate.

JW: You contribute to AFP. You have renounced the eviction notice stunt?

MM: Yeah, that wasn’t our deal and it was—I don’t want to use the word stupid because maybe that’s offensive, but since I can’t think of another word, then maybe I’ll just use it.

On the Gateway Project controversy: [I]magine if you were going through a divorce, but at the same time you had to live with your former spouse for a long period of time. Not only did you have to live with them, but had to work on an incredibly important, very expensive project with them too. I mean, it’s very difficult. We got dumped and we still have to work with them just the same. They don’t like us, and they want to make their New International Trade Crossing the best bridge it can possibly be, and it can’t be the best bridge it can possibly be if they don’t knock the Ambassador Bridge a little bit.

On restoring the Michigan Central Station: We’re planning on putting a new roof on the tower just like the lobby area. We’re planning to put new windows on the tower, just like the lobby area. We’re going to clean out the asbestos and the debris from the tower too. Maybe some of the garages or freight dock areas underneath the depot that go underneath the railroad area, maybe those wouldn’t be necessary anymore, but other than something like that we want to keep the opportunity open. That’s why we’re putting significant money in there.

On their Detroit properties: A lot of the properties that we’ve purchased at either the Wayne County auction or the city auction, which I think happens once a year or something like that. Some of the auctions in the past lead you to believe you might only be paying $500 for one these lots, by the way. So they might lead you to believe there’s no building on the lot, so you go to the auction, you pay the 500 bucks, you drive by after the auction and—holy smokes—there’s a burnt out crackhouse on the lot I thought was vacant. What we’ve done with those is we’ve systematically filed the proper paperwork and demolished them.

On his family’s role in the community: The most important thing we can do that's good for the community around us is to do the right thing for our businesses and the employment and growth and hopefully some spin-off success for them.

You know, this is just ideology, and I don't know the guy and he's way out of our league, but I think it's much more important—to give you a glimpse of how I think—that Bill Gates founded Microsoft and built that up than that he established the Bill Gates Foundation. You asked about a hundred years from now, I think people are much more likely to remember Microsoft and all the success it generated for employees and corporations and the economy of the United States than all the great things the foundation does.

MM: Some folks, and I think it's kind of dirty on their part. They'd like to promote, for instance, I'm not saying all the folks that promote the government bridge are this way, but at least some of them have said: A good reason to build the government bridge is because the Morouns are bad people. Well, that's a good reason to build the government bridge, but that hasn't stopped them from painting us as bad people.